Fish and Wildlife Regulatory Revisions

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Proposed, Emergency, and Recently Adopted Regulations and Pre-proposals

Proposed Regulations

How to Comment on Proposed Fish and Wildlife Regulations

6 NYCRR Sections 1.11, 1.18, 1.19, 1.20, 1.21, and 180.8 pertaining to deer hunting seasons, deer hunting tags, and archery equipment

This rulemaking will modify deer hunting seasons and the issuance and use of deer hunting tags to increase antlerless deer harvest and improve the Department’s ability to manage abundant deer populations. This rulemaking proposes to modify the Deer Management Permit (DMP) issuance and consignment process to enhance availability and access to antlerless deer tags and increase the number of Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) included in the nine-day season for antlerless deer in September.  Additionally, this proposal will modify deer tags to establish an earn-a-2nd buck tag system, in which hunters would only be eligible to receive a second antlered deer tag after they harvest and report an antlerless deer. Finally, this rulemaking will clarify when mechanical broadheads are considered non-barbed.

Rulemaking Documents:

Public Comments on the Proposed Rulemaking:

DEC is accepting comments on the proposed regulations through May 17, 2026. Submit comments to [email protected] (subject: “Antlerless Deer”) or to: NYSDEC, Attn: Jeremy Hurst, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4754.

6 NYCRR Part 10 Pertaining to Sportfishing Regulations (Coolwater Species)

This rulemaking will amend regulations in 6 NYCRR Chapter 1 (Fish and Wildlife), Subchapter C (Fishing), Part 10 (Sportfishing Regulations) to adjust the closing date for walleye, northern pike, chain pickerel and tiger muskellunge; eliminate special harvest regulations for walleye in certain waters; change the start date of fishing prohibited regulations to protect spawning walleye on sections of select streams; and change the size limit and daily creel limit for walleye to two fish per day with no more than one longer than 24 inches in Jefferson County waters of Lake Ontario. This rulemaking is necessary to eliminate regulations that are no longer needed, to protect vulnerable populations of coolwater sportfish species, and to protect the walleye spawning stock in the eastern basin of Lake Ontario. 

Rulemaking Documents:

Comment period is closed.

6 NYCRR Sections 1.11 and 2.3 Pertaining to Hunting with a Crossbow

This rulemaking will align DEC regulations with the Environmental Conservation Law regarding hunting with a crossbow. The rulemaking will amend and remove regulations that are now obsolete and contradictory to law changes adopted in 2025. This rulemaking will not affect how hunters may use crossbows for hunting in New York but merely aligns DEC regulations with recently updated state laws.

Rulemaking Documents:

Public Comments on the Proposed Rulemaking:

DEC is accepting comments on the proposed regulations through March 8, 2026. Submit comments to [email protected] (subject: “crossbow”) or to: NYSDEC, Attn: Jeremy Hurst, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4754.

6 NYCRR Sections 6.2 and 6.3 Pertaining to Fisher and Pine Marten Trapping Seasons and Methods for Allowable Take

This rulemaking will modify existing fisher trapping zone boundaries and season dates consistent with the results of a structured decision-making process, and expand the areas open to fisher trapping in western New York according to the recommendations of the New York State Fisher Management Plan. The rulemaking will shift fisher and marten seasons in the eastern portion of the State to later in the year to better align with trapper values. In addition, the rulemaking will expand trapping opportunity in western New York, where research conducted by DEC has indicated that the fisher population is growing. The proposed changes, if adopted, would be implemented for the 2026-2027 trapping seasons.

Rulemaking Documents:

Comment period is closed.

Emergency Regulations

There are no current emergency regulations for the Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Recently Adopted Regulations

6 NYCRR Parts 1.18, 1.30 and 180.10 Pertaining to the Issuance and Use of Deer Hunting Tags, the Deer Management Assistance Program, and Game Harvest Reporting

This rulemaking will provide a replacement regular season deer tag to youth hunters who successfully use that tag during the Youth Big Game Hunt weekend and will enhance the Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) by extending the permit renewal cycle from 3 years to 5 years and rescinding the limit on number of DMAP tags that may be used per hunter. Also, this rulemaking will define the process for completing an electronic or paper carcass tag for deer, bear, and wild turkey, establish the reporting time frame for electronic harvest reporting, and will reduce the reporting timeframe from 7 days to 48 hours for paper-tagged deer, bear, or wild turkey.

Rulemaking Documents:

Adopted on October 1, 2025.

6 NYCRR Part 664, Freshwater Wetlands Jurisdiction and Classification

The proposed rule making amended 6 NYCRR Part 664, Freshwater Wetlands Maps and Classification regulations to implement amendments to the Freshwater Wetlands Act that take effect January 1, 2025. The rule making defines key terms, improves the freshwater wetland classification system, establishes criteria for the identification of Wetlands of Unusual Importance, and establishes procedures related to jurisdictional determinations.

Rulemaking Documents

6 NYCRR Part 182, Endangered and Threatened Species Mitigation Bank Fund

This rulemaking establishes how the Endangered and Threatened Species Mitigation Bank Fund will operate. This rule making is required to implement the Mitigation Bank Fund as created under the 2020 Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act and amended by the 2024 Renewable Action Through Project Interconnection and Deployment (RAPID) Act.

Rulemaking Documents and Resources

6 NYCRR Part 10 Trout Stream Fishing Regulations

This rulemaking aligns select trout stream regulations with DECs Trout Stream Management Plan and amends tidal trout regulations.

Adopted on January 1, 2025. Effective April 1, 2025.

6 NYCRR Part 6 NYCRR Part 182, Endangered, Threatened Species of Fish and Wildlife; Species of Special Concern

The Department is adopting revisions to the list of endangered, threatened, and special concern fish and select wildlife species. These rules are authorized under Section 11-0535 of the ECL and implemented by the Department through Title 6 of the New York Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations (6 NYCRR) Part 182. This rule making is required to partially update the list of species protected under Part 182.5 to reflect known changes in status for native fish species in New York and to explicitly add species that have been listed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as endangered or threatened under the Code of Federal Regulations Title 50, part 17.11 that do not appear in the express terms of Part 182.5. The list of species appearing in Part 182.5 was last updated in 1999 and the abundance and distribution of several species are known by the Department to have changed since that time. This rulemaking focuses on species of fish, and further rule making actions are planned to address additional groups of animals.

Rulemaking Documents and Resources

6 NYCRR Part 182 Endangered and Threatened Species of Fish and Wildlife; Species of Special Concern; Incidental Take Permits

The proposed rulemaking reinstates regulatory language that was vacated as a result of a recent court ruling. The proposal is re-issuing the entirety of the endangered and threatened species regulations as they existed prior to the 2022 court decision and providing a public comment period and public hearing to restore the regulations to their previous form. There are no substantial changes to the regulations being made through this effort, beyond updating the dates to the most recent publication of federal regulations that are referenced within the regulations.

Rulemaking Documents

  • Text of Proposed Regulation (PDF)
  • Regulatory Impact Statement (PDF) - provides background and additional information.
  • Supporting Documents (PDF) - Express Terms Summary, Regulatory Impact Statement Summary, Regulatory flexibility Analysis for Small Businesses and Local Governments, Rural Area Flexibility Analysis, and Job Impact Statement.
  • Adopted on December 4, 2024. Effective on December 4.

6 NYCRR Part 177 Sporting License Printing and Mailing Fee

This rulemaking adopts a regulation to allow License Issuing Agents (LIAs) and license fulfillment centers to levy a nominal fee for the printing and/or mailing of plain paper hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses.

Contact for this Page

DFW, Bureau of Wildlife
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233

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